Farewell Rubin Al Asad

British Dressage was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Rubin Al Asad, travelling reserve for the Rio Olympics and Lara Butler’s 'horse of a lifetime'.

On the 9 October, Lara Butler shared on social media that at the age of 24, Rubin Al Asad, who was known as Rufus to his friends, was put to sleep after many years of peaceful retirement at owner Ursula Bechtolsheimer’s yard.

Rufus was one of the most prominent names in British Dressage throughout the late 2010’s, earning his place as reserve for three major consecutive championships – the 2016 Rio Olympics, the 2017 European Champions at Gothenberg, and the 2018 World Equestrian Games at Tryon. He was also crowned the British Dressage National Champion in 2018 and was a member of countless Nations Cup teams throughout his career.

Originally bred in Germany, the Rubin Royal-sired gelding was produced up to Small Tour by Helen Langehanenberg before being purchased and bought over to the UK by the Bechtolsheimer’s for their daughter, Laura (now Tomlinson). Lara was working for the Bechtolsheimer’s as an assistant rider when Rufus arrived, where he was undergoing rehab for a back injury that he had sustained when he was younger. Speaking to Horse and Hound about her fond memories of when he first arrived, Lara recounted how she was told “You can ride this one, but he’s quite fresh because he’s just coming back from an injury – and don’t ride him in spurs!" I thought, ‘Oh my God, what is this horse going to be like?’ He was sharp, but in a very kind way.”

Despite originally being destined to be Laura Tomlinson’s next ride, the pair were not meant to be: “When Laura sat on him, his legs flew everywhere because she has a hot seat, whereas I’ve got a much calmer seat. I just clicked with him straight away, and I think they could see that.”

Lara made her BD debut with Rufus at Addington Premier League in 2012 at Prix St Georges and qualified for the Nationals the following year following a successful 2013 Premier League season. The pair stepped up to Intermediate I in May of 2024, and Intermediate II just a month later – they later went on to be crowned National Champions at Intermediate II that summer. In 2015 Rufus made his international debut, attending the Wellington CDI3* event in Florida, USA, where they finished tenth in the Grand Prix and sixth in the Special. They stayed out in Florida for over a month, climbing their way up the leaderboard to finish their time away scoring 70.220% and 71.529%, finishing fifth and second.

Over his career, Rufus attended six National Championships, his last one being the rescheduled National Grand Prix Championships in December of 2020, which was held behind closed doors at Hartpury. Their final dance down the centre line ended up being their second highest score for a Grand Prix Freestyle to Music, finishing on 79.68%. Their personal best was achieved the year before at the 2018 London International Horse Show, where they finished fifth on 81.54%.

In April 2021, Lara announced via social media that the then-19-year-old gelding was being retired from sport, explaining that “Rufus has been the king of the arena, but now it is his time to become the king of the field and enjoy his retirement the way he truly deserves.

“He is super happy and fit, and after five years at top level we want to allow him to finish feeling fresh and healthy in himself as we owe him that for he has given us (the team), and me especially, everything. It would have been amazing to give him a retirement party somewhere (maybe Olympia as it is one of our favourites) but with all the current [COVID-19] restrictions it’s just not been possible”.

Rufus continued to live in a small herd at the Bechtolsheimer’s yard in Gloucestershire, where he was the ‘boss’ of a small herd of youngstock and fellow retirees for the past five years, and remained a beloved member of the team.

British Dressage offers condolences to Lara, Laura and Ursula, and to all of Rufus’ connections on the loss of this very special horse.

Photos - Kevin Sparrow